Magmounts are not such a good idea--especially on a new car. One time is all it takes for that magmount to come off while the car is moving, and you'll probably have marks and dings in your new cars finish. And they don't have to actually come off--just move. AND if they don't and they stay in one place for a while, you may end up with stains or discoloration of the paint!

Also, anything thicker than a sheet of writing paper between the magmount and the matal its holding onto risks serious degradation of the holding power of the magnet. Magmounts were originally made for use when a vehicle was not moving--and that is still all most of them are good for. You take way too many chances with any antenna longer or heavier than a 2 meter quarter wave whip on a magnet mount when the car is moving.

All you detractors go ahead and flame and swear that magmounts are OK for use at highway speeds. I've heard it all before, and nothing anyone says is going to change my mind--just as it won't change the minds of those who have had damage done to their rides by magmounts that have come off and did damage to their cars while they were moving.

Magmounts are not such a good idea--especially on a new car. One time is all it takes for that magmount to come off while the car is moving, and you'll probably have marks and dings in your new cars finish. And they don't have to actually come off--just move. AND if they don't and they stay in one place for a while, you may end up with stains or discoloration of the paint!

Also, anything thicker than a sheet of writing paper between the magmount and the matal its holding onto risks serious degradation of the holding power of the magnet. Magmounts were originally made for use when a vehicle was not moving--and that is still all most of them are good for. You take way too many chances with any antenna longer or heavier than a 2 meter quarter wave whip on a magnet mount when the car is moving.

All you detractors go ahead and flame and swear that magmounts are OK for use at highway speeds. I've heard it all before, and nothing anyone says is going to change my mind--just as it won't change the minds of those who have had damage done to their rides by magmounts that have come off and did damage to their cars while they were moving.

There are a lot of variables in mag mounts, starting with what exactly you are mounting. A small 2M/70cm antenna with a very small wind profile will likely be fine, but make sure you get a magnet that will have enough holding force (IE, the biggest one you can get). I have a mag mount on my work truck that has held the antenna down in a parking garage (forgot to pull it off before entering), and actually bent the antenna and roof of the truck a little. But again, I bought a big mount that was meant for a much larger antenna.

Few people mention about the holding power of a mag mount vs. The thickness of the material they're stuck to. Fifty years ago, automotive sheet metal was nearly twice as think as it is today. Even an alnico-based magnet would hold fairly well. If we would have had neodymium then, you probably couldn't have pulled one off straight away from the sheet metal. Nowadays, even a neodymium-based one can be easily pulled away. A few year hence, and you won't have any sheet metal to speak of. In fact, quite a few current year vehicles sport composite hoods and deck lids. I just wonder what will happen then?

If the material is that flimsy, suction cups will pop off at the first deformation if it! (BTW, I do realize you were being a bit 'off the wall.')

There are vehicles now that have plastic panels, not sheet metal, and vehicles where the sheet metal is actually sheet aluminum! Corvettes have fibreglass panels, and there is some experimentation going on with composite carbon materials--although that process is still prohibitively expensive for mass production of cars.

Someone stole the antenna off my car this weekend - a Little Tarheel II mounted to the tailgate via a Diamond K400.

I've managed to get it back. Although the Diamond is bent a little on the bottom flat bit the antenna is still attached. The damage to the tailgate where they've ripped it off is quite significant and the antenna doesn't quite look straight showing the mount gave quite a fight before it came off.

Based on how well the K400 has come out of it I would have no hesitation buying or recommending that mount to anyone else.

Thankfully its a small neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone else so I not only got it back but know who did it and he's confessed as he knows me and didn't realise it was mine as well as offering to pay for a new antenna, mount and the body repair.

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